The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) sent a letter to Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin urging him to veto H.B. 14, which would include peace officers and other first responders within the coverage of Kentucky’s hate crimes statute. While LDF supports efforts to advance policing practices that ensure the safety and wellness of both law enforcement and the communities they serve, H.B. 14 is a profoundly inappropriate and misguided proposal for the following reasons:
Hate crimes law are intended to address crimes motivated by a person’s status as a member of a historically persecuted group.
Kentucky law already confers ample protection to law enforcement.
H.B. 14 is polarizing, harms community-police relations, and does not improve officer safety or wellness.
Read our full letter here.
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
